Pile driver



United States [Patent lnventor Christopher W. Bermingham Dundas. Ontario. Canada Appl. No. 831,681 Filed June 9, 1969 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 Assignee Bermingham Construction Limited Marine Terminal, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Priority June 19, 1968 Canada No. 022968 PlLE DRIVER 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 173/43, 173/28 Int. Cl E2lc 11/00 Field of Search 173/42, 43, 39, 28

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.957999 5/1934 Goldsborough et al 173/43 9/l 935 Pace et al. 173/42 2.616.267 11/1952 Guild 173/37 Primary Examiner-David H. Brown A norney-- Smart & Biggar ABSTRACT: This invention is directed to a crane mounted pile driving assembly, the crane being of the type, having a boom which is rotatable through 360 and is vertically adjustable through operation of an extensible kicker. A lead for the hammer is vertically slidably mounted in a pair of guide members, the upper of which is mounted at the free end of the boom for pivoting about a generally horizontal axis and the lower of which is mounted at the free end of the kicker for pivoting about a generally horizontal axis. Since the overall arrangement provides for swinging of the boom through 360 about the crane body, vertical adjustment of the boom, extension of the boom at various angles, sliding of the lead relative to the guide members, and swinging of the lead in a plane at right angles to a plane containing the lead and the boom, a wider variety of pile driving operations can be carried out without shifting the location of the crane than has hitherto been possible. Furthermore, the conventional but troublesome problem of levelling the crane body is avoided.

PATENTEDDEC2997G V 3550.693

sum 1 BF 3 INVENTOR CHRISTOPHER w. BERMlNGb-IAM ATTORNEYS.

PATENTED UEEZQIBYD 3550.693

CHRISTOPHER W. BERMINGgl-IAM};

PATENTEU [1EE29 I978 .SHEET 3 UF 3' INVENTOR PILE DRIVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is well known in the art to adapt a mobile crane or likevehicle for pile driving purposes by suspending (or otherwise mounting) from the boom of the crane a pile driver. The

driver comprises a lead upon which the hammer of the driver is movable,-upward movement of the hammer beingperformed by actuation of the crane winding gear, to which the hammer is attached. Downward movement of the hammer is kicker extending from the crane base;

effected by releasing .the winding'gear and allowing the hammer to fall under the influence of gravity. If a power hammer is employed, the crane winding mechanism is merely used to raise or lower the hammer to its operating height.

The present application is particularly concerned with the orientation of the lead (and hence the direction of driving of the pile) with reference to the crane upon which it is mounted.

Various arrangements have been developed for effecting such orientation, and three such arrangements are described in US. Pat. Nos. 2,955,43l (Taylor), 1,957,999 (Goldsborough, et al. and 2,616,267 (Guild).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION kicker or kickers mounted at or adjacent the base of the I boom. The prime reason for the pivotal attachments is to permit swinging of the lead in the plane containing the boom and kicker or kickers. However, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the attachments are universal or so constructed as to allow swinging of the lead in planes normal to that containing the boom and kicker or kickers. Such a novel arrangement allows considerably greater ease and flexibility of orientation of the lead than any of the devices of the prior art, particularly in a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the kicker or kickers are extensible. The provision of universal attachments to allow swinging of the lead in planes normal to that containing the boom effectively endows the pile driver with a convenient and accurate levelling device. In a conventional arrangement, when it is desired to drive a vertical pile, the pile driver support vehicle is leveled by insertion of planks or the like thereunder. This procedure is both inaccurate and time consuming. A notable advantage of the apparatus of this invention over the prior art devices is that the apparatus may be used in any location in which the crane is supported. There is no requirement that the lead also be firmly supported, as would be the case, for instance, if the lead were only attached to the crane at a single point. In fact, the crane could be mounted upon a barge, for example, and .the lead positioned over deep water or marsh, and still be fully controllable from the crane.

One application in which the arrangement of the present invention (especially in its preferred embodiment) is useful is the driving of piles inside a cofferdam or the like. In such cases, the levels of the ground upon which the crane is located is often considerably higher than the head of the pile. Using a conventional pile driver it would be necessary to drive piles longer than required, and subsequently cut them down to the required height. Alternatively, an extension member, commonly known as a chaser, may be employed to effectively extend the height of the pile during driving, or as a third'alternative, the leads may be suspended by a line-from the crane boom, and lowered to follow the pile 'beingdriven. None of these arrangements are as fast or accurate as that of the present invention wherein the leads are able to follow the pile being driven whilst remaining firmly supported and orientated.

Other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described further by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 8-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line C-C of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevation of thekicker shown in FIG. 1 and the control rigging associated therewith; and 2 FIG. 6 is a front schematic view of the lead shown in FIG. 1 and shows the extent of sideways movement of same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, a pile drive assembly comprises a mobile crane having a boom'l0 and an extensible kicker 11 extending from the base thereof. An upper guide member 12 is pivotally mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis 13 located at the free end of the boom 10, and a lower guide member 14 is pivotally mounted for rotation about a generally horizontal axis 15 located at the free end of the kicker 11. The guide members 12 and 14 support a lead 16 which is longitudinally slidable within the guide members. Members 12 and 14 are constructed in a manner hereinafter described which allow swinging of the leads-16 in a plane normal to the plane containing the boom and kicker as well as in the plane containing the boom and kicker.

The lead 16 functions as a support and guide for a diesel pile hammer 17 controllable from the crane in conventional manner.

Lines 18, 19 and 22 are attached to the lead 16, boom 10 and hammer 17 respectively and pass to the winding mechanism of the crane. The lines 18, 19 and 22 control raising and lowering of the lead, boom elevation, and the hammer operating height respectively. Lines 20 and 21 are attached to kicker 11 and pass to the'winding mechanism of the crane. The lines 20 and 21 effect extension and retraction of the kicker respectively. The arrangement and operation of these several control lines will be described in detail later on herein but it will already be appreciated that, by manipulation of the lines aforementioned, orientation of the lead in the plane containing the boom and kicker is readily controllable, as is the hammer operating height.

Pile positioning is also controlled from the crane, and FIG. 1 shows a pile 23 held in position beneath the hammer by means of a line 24 passing to the crane winding mechanism.

FIGS. 2 and 4 show constructional details of the kicker and lead assemblies, and in particular the arrangement of the control lines associated therewith. Referring to these FIGS. the lead 16 consists of an I-I-section beam 25 having rear flanges 26a slidable between guides 27 attached to the upper guide member 12, and guides 28 attached to the lower guide member 14. The beam 25 is provided with front flanges 26b which serve as runners for the hammer (not shown in FIG. 2).

The'kicker 11 consists of two telescopically arranged, elongated rectangular frames, the outer of which includes side members 29a and 29b interconnected in spaced parallel relationship by cross bracing. 30. This outer frame is telescoped within an inner frame which includes side members 31a and 31b interconnected by cross bracing. The inner frame is pivotally attached to the crane, and the outer frame is attached to the lower guide member 14. (In the present context, the'terms inner and outer" mean adjacent and remote from the crane respectively). The outer extremities of the guide members 31a and 3112 are connected by upper and lower channeled crosspieces 32 and 33. The cross piece 32 kicker extension line (see also FIG. 1). The line 20 is attached at one end to the crosspiece 33 and passes sequentially over the pulley 37 and the pulley 35, the other end of the line being affixed to a winding drum in the crane. Thus, winding in of the line 20 pulls together the pulleys 35 and 37 and thereby extends the outer kicker assembly.

Retraction of the kicker is effected, as stated above, by means of the line 21, which is attached at one end to the cross piece 32 adjacent the member 34, and sequentially passes under a pulley 38 mounted upon a crossmember 51 (located near the outer end of the outer frame member) and over one of a number of pulleys 39 located at the upper extremity of the crane boom 10. The line 21 then passes to a winding drum located within the crane. Winding in of the line 21 pulls together the pulley 38 and crosspiece 32 and thereby both retracts and raises the kicker assembly.

The lower guide member 14 is mounted so that a certain amount of lateral movement thereof relative to the kicker is possible. Guide member 14 includes a plate 40, to which are attached the lead guides 28. On the side of the plate remote from such guides is located a U-shaped assembly 41, having a sleeve 42 extending between and through the sides thereof. A pin 43 passes through the sleeve 41, and extends between and connects the outer extremities of the kicker side members 29a and 29b.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, upper guide member 12 includes a plate 44 upon which is pivotally mounted (by means of a pin 45) a U-shaped member 46. The member 12 is mounted upon the upper extremity of the crane boom 10 by means of a pin 47 passing through the boom and the sides of the member 46. The pin is maintained in such location by means of split pins 48 at either end thereof. It will also be seen that the pin 47 conveniently carries the pulley 39 located at the upper extremity of the boom 10. The previously mentioned guides 27 are rigidly secured to plate 44.

Lead 16 is able to pivot laterally about the pin 45, the extent of such lateral movement being determined by the sideways play of the member 41 along the pin 43. Since the member 41 must travel in an arc struck from the pivot pin 45, the member 41 is pivotally connected to the plate 40 in similar manner to the arrangement for connecting U-shaped member 46 to plate 44.

FIG. 4 shows how the lateral movement of the lead 16 is effected. A line 49 is attached to each side of the member 41. Each line passes around a pulley 50 horizontally located upon one end of the underside of a crosspiece 51 spanning the outer kicker frame and extending parallel to and adjacent the pin 43. From the pulley 50 each line passes beneath the kicker and terminates in one end of an elongated plate 52. The plate 52 is pivotally attached to the underside and upperside of cross pieces 53a and 5311 respectively, extending between the side members 290 and 29b of the outer kicker frame and located approximately midway along said frame. Rotation of the plate 52 causes simultaneous tensioning of one line 49 and slackening of the other, thereby causing member 41 to be moved laterally along the pin 43. Such movement in turn swings the lead 16 (mounted upon the guide members 12 and 14) laterally about the pin 45. Rotation of the plate 52 is effected by hydraulic rams 54 acting upon each end of the plate 52, the bases of the rams being rigidly secured to a cross bar mounted near the inner end of the outer kicker frame.

The hammer 17 and pile 23 are raised and lowered by means of the lines 22 and 24 respectively as aforesaid. These lines pass over a pulley assembly 55 rotatably mounted at the top of the lead 16. The lines 22 and 24 subsequently pass via a pulley assembly 58 located atop the guide member 12 and over the pulleys 39 to the winding mechanism located in the crane.

Raising and lowering of the lead is effected by the line 18 which is fastened at one end to the member 12. The line passes from its point of attachment on the member 12 around a pulley 56 attached to the lead 16, over pulley 39, and then down the boom 10 to a winding drum located in the crane. The pulley 56 is mounted between two ears 57 extending rearwardly from the rear face of the lead 16. Pulley 56 is so located upon the lead that hoisting and lowering thereof within the required operating limits may be effected without fouling of the pulley upon either of the guide members 12 or 14.

The arrangement of the control lines may be varied for convenience, and the actuating mechanism for lateral movement of the lead 16 along the pin 45 may take various forms. For instance the lines 49 could be of greater length and wound upon winding drums located within the crane, thus obviating the necessity for the plate 52 or rams 54. Alternatively, the plate 52 could be retained and the rams 54 replaced by a worm drive extending from the crane and so arranged as to be moved laterally be opposed hydraulic rams located adjacent and parallel to the pin 43 and arranged to the act directly upon the carriage 14. Also, if desired, a plurality of kickers could be arranged at different levels, the several kickers being connected between the lead and crane and acting upon the lead in unison. Also it would be possible for the lead to be mounted on the boom and kicker or kickers by means of a single guide member within which the lead would be longitudinally slidable. Any such single guide member would be pivotally connected at one end to the boom and at the other end to the kicker or kickers.

Furthermore, the hammer may be any type of power hammer, or indeed, a simple hammer falling under the influence of gravity.

It has been stated in the above specific description that the front flanges of the lead 16 serves as runners for the hammer. However, the lead may be provided with separate runners attached thereto at its front surface, these runners being preferably of tubular construction.

Finally, it will be seen that by suitable adaptation of the pile driver structure, the functions mentioned above (particularly raising and lowering of the lead) may be performed by hydraulic rams, either in combination with or instead of lines.

I claim:

1. A pile driving assembly for use in conjunction with a crane having a boom which is rotatable through 360 and vertically adjustable, said assembly comprising:

a. an upper guide member mounted at the free end of the boom for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;

b. an extensible kicker mounted on the crane adjacent the base of the boom for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;

c. a lower guide member mounted at the free end ofthe ex tensible kicker for pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis;

d. a lead mounted in said upper and lower guide members so as to be slidable with respect thereto;

e. a pile driving hammer slidably mounted on said lead, means for raising and lowering the hammer on said lead;

f. means for extending and retracting said kicker;

g. means for raising and lowering said lead relative to said guide members;

h. each of said upper and lower guide members including a pair of plates; and

i. each said pairs of plates being mounted so as to face one another and to be relatively rotatable about an axis which is normal to the longitudinal axis of the lead, whereby the lead is swingable not only in a plane which contains the kicker and boom but also in a plane at right angles thereto, the swinging in the latter case being through a small arc centered on the upper guide member.

2. A pile driving assembly as defined in claim 1, in which the lower guide member is mounted at the free end of the kicker on a shaft which extends transversely across the free end of the kicker, the lower guide member being rotatable upon and slidable along said shaft.

3. A pile driving assembly as defined in claim 2, in which said extensible kicker assembly comprises a pair of elongated rectangular frames, one frame being telescopically arranged within the other. 

